Narrowboat dimensions

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Hello from Colorado!

I'm planning to scratch build the narrowboat we hired on our 2011 trip on the Kennet & Avon canal, specifically the Axbridge from Anglo-Welsh narrowboats. It was a 65'-long boat with a semi-traditional stern, and other than it being 6'10" wide, that's all the dimensions I have, not thinking to bring a tape measure on our holiday.

http://virtualight.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/axbridge-dimensions.jpg

I plan to make it in 1/32nd scale, or about 2 feet long, if I decide to also make a lock, or 1/24th scale, if I decide to make it radio controlled (although 1/12th scale seems to be more popular for an RC narrowboat).

I would like to get a better handle on the dimensions, however, especially the draft, the hull height, and the stern undercut where sits the propellor. I'd also like some idea the amount of the forward sweep—how much the bow rises.

I’m guessing the height of the boat to be about 6'6" to 6'8", based on interior headroom of 6'4". I’m not too concerned about accuracy, because few in Denver will know the difference, but I don’t want a boat that would be fundamentally unsound. So if you have any suggestions on these dimensions, please chime in.

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Planning a 1/32 scale

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

I should have wrapped the image url as a link: **LINK**

[DuckyParticipant @ducky]

Hi Jenny

Check out this site, it might give you some ideas.

http://www.riversidemodels.co.uk/

I made their 1/12 scale 50" narrow boat last year, hope this will give you some idea's.

Duckie

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by Ducky on 27/12/2012 16:19:17:

Hi Jenny

Check out this site, it might give you some ideas.

http://www.riversidemodels.co.uk/

I made their 1/12 scale 50" narrow boat last year, hope this will give you some idea's.

Duckie

Thanks, Duckie, although I already knew of Riverside Models, your reply prompted me to look further and I saw they have a 1/24th scale kit. That scale would be much easier to display in my house. (I had thought they only sold 1/12th scale models.) I was also interested to see they sold plans only for a 1/12th scale semi kit, that could be scaled down.

Unfortunately I do want to make a specific boat; I want to replicate the upswept bow. And to keep the cost down (I just spent a lot on photo-etched parts for a B-17), I plan to build it slowly. I figured I'd spend a month drawing up the plans, and then buy styrene as needed. It might end up costing more than just buying a kit, but spread out over a long period.

I hope you had a good experience building their kit. I'm very impressed by your Velda and its lovely planters. Your skill is quite impressive. This will be my first attempt at building a boat and actually my first attempt at scratch building, but I thought a narrowboat looked simple enough.

Jennifer

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Jennifer

In my personal opinion, your barge would look and feel much nicer if it was made from wood?

As opposed to styrene

Just a suggestion

Bob

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by Bob Abell on 27/12/2012 18:32:34:

Hello Jennifer

In my personal opinion, your barge would look and feel much nicer if it was made from wood?

As opposed to styrene

Just a suggestion

Bob

Bob,

That's a good point, and I plan to use wood for those parts of the boat that are made of wood (most of the interior), but a modern-day narrowboat is basically just steel plates welded together. I admit I am tempted to make a vintage narrowboat with rivets, but that would defeat the purpose of recapturing our holiday.

Of course, a wood hull would have much less give that styrene, but I am planning an inner shell and some ribs that should lend some rigidity. I'll also add some filler between the bottom plate and the wood floor. Is that what you meant by feel?

Jennifer

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Jennifer

Wood feels friendly and warm

Plastic feels alien and cold?………………..Yuk!

Have another think about a wooden hull with card plating and lots of rivets!….eg…….

Food for thought?

Bob

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by Bob Abell on 27/12/2012 18:55:30:

Jennifer

Wood feels friendly and warm

Plastic feels alien and cold?………………..Yuk!

Have another think about a wooden hull with card plating and lots of rivets!….eg…….

Food for thought?

Bob

I shall give it some thought, Bob. But I hasten to add that rivets are in my future, both on my B-17 and the Minicraft Titanic I have on the shelf. I suppose I could go super authentic and make my boat out of actual steel.

Jennifer

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Jennifer……You sound as though you are a seasoned modeller?

Will you post a few pictures of your work, please?

I feel sure we have a few interested parties in the wings!

Bob

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

jennifer, have you tried contacting Anglo welsh and asking them who built their narrow boat that you had your holiday on.

I used to own a narrow boat (ex hire) that was built by Harbrough Marine of Market Harborough, and this boat was a standard boat for their fleet…other hirers such as Anglo Welsh and Anderton Boats had their own builders, who probably are still going and could supply you with plans of your specific boat

also if you contact these two mags and ask them they might be able to help.

**LINK**

**LINK**

neil

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by neil howard-pritchard on 27/12/2012 19:14:32:

jennifer, have you tried contacting Anglo welsh and asking them who built their narrow boat that you had your holiday on.

I used to own a narrow boat (ex hire) that was built by Harbrough Marine of Market Harborough, and this boat was a standard boat for their fleet…other hirers such as Anglo Welsh and Anderton Boats had their own builders, who probably are still going and could supply you with plans of your specific boat

also if you contact these two mags and ask them they might be able to help.

Dear Neil,

Yes, I sent an email, but I wonder if they all but shut down this time of year. I should also have used my husband's name and email address, for the booking was in his name. I should try again; I was too easily discouraged. I also wanted to join narrowboatworld, but for the life of me, couldn't find a register page. I am afraid that I am that sort of "do it myself" sort of person. Once I realized how difficult it is to find narrowboat plans on the web (understandably engineers spent a lot of effort creating them), I thought to do it myself.

But I shall try to contact Anglo-Welsh again after the holidays.

By the way, is that the Market Harborough of Michael Wood fame?

Jennifer

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by Bob Abell on 27/12/2012 19:09:52:

Jennifer……You sound as though you are a seasoned modeller?

Will you post a few pictures of your work, please?

I feel sure we have a few interested parties in the wings!

Bob

Bob,

I am that worst sort of modeler—the kind who throws away her work if it does not meet exacting standards. And I mostly build starships. The only one I currently have photos of is the Vulcan Warp Sled from the first Star Trek movie: **LINK**

Although I do have a rather nice San Francisco cable car model that I should photograph and put on my website. I shall do that later today.

Jennifer

PS I was lusting after a 1/72nd scale Jotika HMS Victory, until I converted the price into dollars. I nearly fainted. Starships are much more affordable.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Wow!…….Very impressive stuff!

An Authoress too!………Will read it later

I am also something of an Author, here`s my claim to fame……… **LINK**

Bob

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by Bob Abell on 27/12/2012 19:39:06:

Wow!…….Very impressive stuff!

An Authoress too!………Will read it later

I am also something of an Author, here`s my claim to fame……… **LINK**

Bob

I love the Great Eastern and Brunel. And such a sad tale and the investors it ruined and its very sad end as a floating advertisement.

Now talk about rivets. I've often thought of the model that would be, but to do it justice would be difficult. It would need to be a large scale. I shall explore your book soon, but for now, it's time to move down to the modeling room and resume work on my B-17. I'm building the ball turret and not satisfied with the kit supplied parts, am scratching all but the ball itself.

Jennifer

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Jennifer………..I love B17`s!……..What an awesome aircraft and sadly, it`s fate in the skies above Germany. How those crews flew into such great danger, I can`t imagine!

Are you building the weekly issue model?….or what?

Bob

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

Hi Jennifer ,

Nice to here you enjoyed your trip on the kennett and avon,

No it well ,just 20 ml from where i live ,

also was a Birmingham born person wich as more canals than Venice,

played on the narrow boats as a kid mostly working types early ones where made of timber the later where steel , i have built a working version 30ins long and have a another part built ,

and plans to build a 60in model, see pictures . there is a canal web site for more info,

loads of more types on there ,…… the builds are quite easy just oblong box with round steped

stern with a round belly bow , its the art work that is the icing on the cake ,

each one is diffrent , castle and roses the most popular,

hope this helps cheers Larry ………Happy building new year……..

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by LARRY WHETTON on 27/12/2012 20:40:19:

Hi Jennifer ,

Nice to here you enjoyed your trip on the kennett and avon,

No it well ,just 20 ml from where i live ,

also was a Birmingham born person wich as more canals than Venice,

played on the narrow boats as a kid mostly working types early ones where made of timber the later where steel , i have built a working version 30ins long and have a another part built ,

and plans to build a 60in model, see pictures . there is a canal web site for more info,

loads of more types on there ,…… the builds are quite easy just oblong box with round steped

stern with a round belly bow , its the art work that is the icing on the cake ,

each one is diffrent , castle and roses the most popular,

hope this helps cheers Larry ………Happy building new year……..

Thanks, Larry, that's an inspiring build. My husband and I are now committed narrowboaters. We plan to return and travel the Llangollen Canal. My sense is that within certain proportions, I can design my boat very much as I desire. I doubt any two boats are alike.

And I see what Bob was saying about working in wood.

I hope soon to have an above view of the boat I'm building and I'll post that and perhaps you can pass your experienced eye over it and say whether you think I'm in the ballpark.

Jennifer

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by Bob Abell on 27/12/2012 19:57:46:

Jennifer………..I love B17`s!……..What an awesome aircraft and sadly, it`s fate in the skies above Germany. How those crews flew into such great danger, I can`t imagine!

Are you building the weekly issue model?….or what?

Bob

How odd you should mention the weekly issue model; I only just learned of it. But no, I'm building the 1/48th scale Revell/Monogram B-17G model. I would be too worried that the weekly edition model might go out of business and I would end up with an uncompleted model.

I'm specifically building Thunderbird from the 303rd Bombardment Group based in Molesworth. My father-in-law flew as a bombardier with the 359th Squadron and I know he flew at least one mission on Thunderbird.

Jennifer

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Jennifer Petkus on 27/12/2012 20:54:50:

Posted by LARRY WHETTON on 27/12/2012 20:40:19:
. My husband and I are now committed narrowboaters. We plan to return and travel the Llangollen Canal. Jennifer

 

That's a beautiful sail, jennifer, especially the Chirk and more famous Pontcysyllte Aquaduct crossings.

Pick a little shorter boat for that trip though, as when nearing llangollen, the canal is bounded on one side by rugged rock faces which make up the one side of the canal, and if the summer has been a hot one and water is sparce, the boat does rub on the rocky outcrops.

Just be careful though that you have a good head for heights as you sail over the Ponty, as there is nothing other than a small cast iron piece of aquaduct between you and a 120 ' drop to the valley floor below, ( absolutely no guard rails on the boat side at all) when you are stood on the back of your Narrow boat.

My father, who came with us on that trip ( and who flew Mosquito bombers during WW2 I might add ) locked himself in the toilet of our boat as we sailed over them, couldn't stand to look down, lol

 

http://www.chirk.com/aqueduct.html

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 27/12/2012 22:42:51

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

I've updated the drawing at my website: **LINK**

There’s now the top plan with a basic room layout. Once I went to the top view, it was obvious I hadn't allowed enough room between the stern and the end of the sidewalls. Looked at this way, it's obvious how exposed to the elements you are. No wonder we got so wet.

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

some pictures might help ………cheers Larry..

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

Good Morning Jennifer,

A few more pictures of narrow boats, and a shot of bow flair……Larry

[Jennifer PetkusParticipant @jenniferpetkus61532]

Posted by LARRY WHETTON on 04/01/2013 20:55:44:

Good Morning Jennifer,

Thanks for the bow picture, Larry. I stupidly never took pictures of the bow of our boat. Could you guess how much the stern sweeps up, from the straight sides of the hull to where the stern meets the vestigial keel?

Thanks, Jennifer

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

Hi Jen i hope your weather is better than ours at the mo !!! Anyway i was having one of my rare tidy up's and come across Model Boats Magazinefrom November 2002 , this edition has a very nice feature on a narrow boat called Elvin the scale is 1:12 ,42ft in real life , so thats 230mm with a draft of 40mm .The company that makes them is called hobbies and the website is http://www.woodenmodels.com , e mail enquires @hobbies-dereham.co.uk

It is a nicely detailed boat and may be of intrest to you

Good luck and best wishes

Andy from Cardiff

[Author]

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